Good Friday and Happy Easter! Am still cleaning house! I am the worst procrastinator. Suzanne, I agree with you - I'd much rather be outside than inside! Yesterday, I had best intentions on finishing the housecleaning, but instead I worked in the yard, planting crinum lily bulbs for the first time - hope they live. If they do, they will be beautiful AND perennial - the best kind of flowers! Husband did me a favor doing the grocery shopping, but you should see some of the stuff he brought home - delicious looking cookies from the deli, Miss Debbie brownies, Hershey's miniatures and M&M's! He says it's for my sister and her family, but I know better. And I even gave him a list! He's off to go buy the shrimp, which we'll boil with the corn, red potatoes, onions, and sausage! Hope whatever I've learned from WW stays somewhat in my head! Also hope the weather stays decent, so we can sit outside - 30% chance of bad weather, but we'll just have to take our chances..... Speaking of weather, I was amazed by the wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas and feel so for the people who lost their homes and those who were killed by the fires and the tornadoes. I hope none of you or your families were/are affected by this. Take care - I'm off to find the mop! Jan

You should be able to find Chinese 5 spice powder in the Asian aisle of your grocery store, but by googling 5 spice powder ingredients, there were numerous recipes. Here is one for you: Ingredients * 3 tablespoons cinnamon * 6 star anise or 2 teaspoons anise seeds * 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds * 1 1/2 teaspoons szechuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns * 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves Directions: Combine all ingredients in blender or coffee grinder. Blend until finely ground. Store in airtight container. Keeps up to 2 months.

Mmmmm, Carol, I LOVE rutabagas, now I need to get some. I didnt' plant any this year, I canned a bunch last year in spite of the "warning" that they could get strong. They are a bit strong but sure not enough to make me not want to eat them. Caramelized onions and honey with them? Oh yum.... Annie

Here's my recipe with revisions from 2017 and 2021: Lasagna (2017) Pasta: 1/2 cup semolina flour 1/2 cup unbleached white flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 3 eggs 1/4 tsp salt Filling: 1 pound fresh spinach, not frozen 1/3 pound Mozzarella cheese1/3 pound Provolone cheese 1/3 pound Asiago cheese 1/8 pound Parmesan cheese 2 cups ricotta cheese 2 eggs 1/4 pound Prosciutto 1/2 cup fresh basil 2 tbsp fresh oregano 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/8 tsp Cayenne (or minced chile de Arbol, two or three chilies, no seeds) 1/2 tsp salt 3 cups (24 oz.) prepared tomato pasta sauce (separate recipe) First make the pasta by combining all ingredients in a food processor. Process until the dough forms a ball and rolls around without sticking to the sides. You may have to add small increments of flour to get to this point. If you have too much flour, you can add a few drops of water, but you will not want the dough too dry at this point. Remove the dough from the processor and knead with more flour until the dough is elastic and not sticky. Knead the dough by folding it over in half after it has been very lightly dusted with flour. Then flatten the dough and repeat folding over and flattening until it is the correct consistency. It is better to be slightly too wet than too dry, as flour can be added when you are putting it through the pasta machine. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes to one hour, covered. This time is required for the moisture to be absorbed fully into the flour. Next, cut the dough into pieces make approximately 2" diameter balls and roll one piece out with a rolling pin so that it will be in a flat shape for the machine. Try to keep the edges from tearing if possible. Keep the rest of the dough covered until you are ready for it. When the dough piece is flat enough, put it through the machine at the first setting (#1) and then fold it into thirds and roll it through again at the same setting. This makes the dough into a more rectangular shape and gives it straight sides. Folding it over also allows you to get a tiny bit more flour into the dough. As you continue rolling the dough, sprinkle it with flour (I use a flour shaker, which looks like a huge salt shaker) to prevent it from sticking to the rollers. Excess flour can be dusted off but does not really hurt, since you will not be folding the dough again. Stop at position #4 or #5, which is thicker than you would use for fettuccine. When you have rolled out all the dough, place the strips on a flat pan (such as a jellyroll pan) and cover so that it does not dry out. Make the filling. Begin by washing the spinach and drying it through a centrifuge or salad spinner. If necessary, dry with paper towels as well—you want as little water as possible left on the spinach. Remove the tough stems from the spinach, and place the leaves into a glass or Pyrex bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave at high for one minute, stir, and the microwave one minute more. Allow the bowl to rest for about 5 minutes covered, and then place the spinach in a colander to drain. You may want to save the liquid from this for another recipe or vegetable broth. After the spinach has drained, remove it to a chopping board and form it into a flat shape for cutting. Using a chef’s knife, cut the flat shape into 1/2" squares. This is as much as the spinach needs to be chopped. Set the spinach aside and allow it to cool further or store it in the refrigerator. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with a beaten egg. Grate Mozzarella, Provolone, and Asiago with a coarse grater and the Parmesan with a fine grater or Microplane. Add to the ricotta and egg. Sauté the Prosciutto in an iron skillet for about 2-3 minutes, and then chop coarsely. You can substitute pancetta or bacon if you prefer, or it can be left out altogether for a vegetarian version. Cut the basil leaves into a chiffonade. Mince the oregano, and add the basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne to the cheese mixture. Add the chopped Prosciutto and stir to combine. Layer a baking dish with sauce, pasta, and filling, repeating these layers, and then ending with pasta and a small amount of sauce on top. Store or freeze what you do not want to consume immediately. Bake at 360°covered for about half an hour, or until it is completely hot throughout. It is better not to bake portions that you want to save for later--the fresh herbs lose some of their fresh flavor when reheated. This will make one 9x13” pan or two 8x8” pans. (2021) To make in a Corningware pan, use 2/3 of the recipe. Lately I've been mixing the pasta dough by hand in a bowl. For the Corningware pan, divide the dough into 6 or 7 rounds and roll out using a rolling pin on a floured board. Roll each ball into a squircle, the shape of the pan, so that one piece of dough will be used for each layer. The pasta will be slightly thinner in you make seven layers of pasta instead of six. It is easy to make lasagna noodles with a rolling pin, if you do not have a pasta machine, and I prefer this now, especially since I can make whatever size noodles I want. If you are making this in the Corningware pan, do not roll out the pasta dough until you have made the filling, Only roll out what you need as you need it – you do not want this dough to dry out, as it will otherwise crack and become brittle.